Former Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has heard all the stories about how his draft stock is dropping, and he has a straightforward request: Watch him play football.
Asked by Trey Wingo on ESPN what is causing his stock to drop, Bridgewater answered, “It’s simple: The Pro Day.”
But while Bridgewater knows his Pro Day left a lot to be desired, he believes coaches, scouts and general managers who watch his game tape will see that he throws the ball a lot better on the field than he did during that workout.
“Put on the game tape. The game tape speaks volumes because I’m in live action, I’m out there making reads, going through progressions, redirection protection, signaling hot routes, getting the offense in and out of the right play. Looking at those things, I think those things outweigh the Pro Day,” Bridgewater said.
If Bridgewater doesn’t hear his name called one week from tonight, he’ll learn the hard way that the tape doesn’t always outweigh the Pro Day.
This guy doesn’t seem that good…
Jamarcus Russell II
I agree with him. I would be a lot more concerned if the game tape was bad and the pro day was great.
If they don’t have the draft soon, he won’t be selected at all.
I would trust one game of footage over one pro day…but I am not a draft specialist. Maybe he gets into a different mode when the game is on?
Johnny gruden says after the bridgewater pro day, he would have taken him off his draft board.
My resume is great, but my interview sucked- would you still hire me?
In Green Bay, we bought into the last “most pro ready QB” from Louisville. See Brohm, Brian.
Take him Vikings, please. -Packer fan.
This could end up working in Bridgewater’s favor. He could end up on a decent to good team and that could make all the difference in his career.
Game play vs. Gym Shorts…I’ll take the game play.
Trust the tape. This kid is going to slide to the bottom of the first round, if not completely into the high or mid second round. I can see teams like New England and Denver moving up to get him in Round 2 based on value and the luxury of letting him learn behind future HOFers.
Teddy….shud of never, ever, admitted it was “bad”….say hello to Rd 2 or 3 even…
I was thinking the same thing… He could slide down in the draft as end up on a team with an aging veteran qb. Learn from him and take over 2-3 years later after half of this years “elite” qbs have been written off.
The “tale of the tape” isn’t all that kind to Teddy, either. He isn’t a large man.
Poor man’s Aaron Rogers coming right up. I’m willing to bet he at least goes in the late first. Likely by a team that already has a good but old QB. Sit for a few years and come out the gates with both guns blazing.
Well when you’re out of the league if 4 years you can keep pointing to how good your game tape looked in College.
Damn, how bad was this pro-day?!?!
Listen to his scripted answers to questions. Geno smith 2.0
Any quarterback that doesn’t throw at the combine and opts to only throw in a ridiculously detailed scrip at his pro day better show up to that pro day… If he can’t look good in perfect conditions he isn’t good.
I will never understand the hype surrounding pro days… After Blaine Gabbert’s pro day he was the next big thing. Game tape and personality/work ethic should make up about 99% of the evaluation process. I’d probably place more emphasis on a guys high school tape than a pro day. Hard to explain why he struggled but what athlete hasn’t had a bad day of practice at some point?
Bridgewater is meant to collapse in MN.
He needs to fire whoever he hired to be his QB coach. Evidently, Bridgewater needs to undo whatever they did to his throwing motion and go back to what works for him.
The reason the self admitted bad pro day is such a killer is that it is the last data point we have.
he was never actually quoted as saying his pro day was bad.
Teddy is absolutely correct. The GMs and media have fallen in love with a slow wildcat QB over what they have always claimed they wanted – an accurate, pocket passer, with great feet and who can read defenses.
Now it’s all about improvisation. “Suddenly we like a guy who can scramble around an go off script every play”. After the draft and into the season, watch’em get amnesia or disappear all together.
Jamarcus Russel had one if the best pro days in NFL history, we all know how that turned out.
Jamarcus Russell actually had the best Pro Day ever when he was getting drafted. How’d that work out?
This kid is gonna be a steal for whoever picks him up,
the game tape should speak for itself
This has bust written all over!
Just let him slide, then when he pans out, the GM’s that passed on him can say, ” But his pro day was bad!” just before they get fired.
Does the game tape speak volumes?
Let me see…
These “off script” improvasational QB’s have won how many Super Bowls?
Farve won one only because Parcells threw the game in protest to Bob Kraft.
And Fran Tarkenton won how many Super Bowls?
Game film vs. Competition. Humm? Remember who(m) Louisville played. The AAC (Little East) doesn’t bode a lot of confidence.
Isn’t this kinda the opposite of tebow? Great pro day, horrible game day mechanics?
The game tape showed you to be decent – against slow college defenses who don’t have 1/2 the talent an NFL defense will field. Even the worst defenses in the league are exponentially better than what you faced in college.
Against nothing – you showed up poorly, against absolutely nothing and with scripted plays.
Only 2 QB’s taken in the first round in the last 9 years have won a SB. Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco. Of those 2, I don’t think anyone can HONESTLY say they’re equals when it comes to play so Teddy – let’s be honest.
You’re slightly above average for college ball – playing against such STELLAR teams like FIU, Eastern KY, Houston and UCF. You were horrible against literally AIR.
2nd round is where you should be drafted at best.
When you look at Bridgewater’s game tape, make sure you see the part where, after thoroughly kicking Miami’s ass in the bowl game, he threw a choke sign at them.
Now that’s what I call a leader of men.
Wow, to think, the pro-day could have literally cost him millions.
Well to me it feels like this confusion has come about from a lack of preparation and not having good advice and advisors during this process. That’s all I can see.
We don’t need him
Ponder will be MVPonder in 14!!
Doesn’t matter,there are zilch franchise qbs in this draft anyway,Manziel in the right place maybe,other than that,yawn
Unfortunately for him – The last thing someones sees sticks more than the prior thiings most of the time.
How does he get past the tiny hands? No matter what you guys think look up the numbers, his hands are too small and he will have fumbilitis at the next level…
Packers will jump all over him!!
Lol
Scoll
He’s right.
In a league where Christian Ponder goes in the top 12, he will go in the first round. He is going to be the best QB out of this draft class
Maybe second round– he’s certainly going in the 1st.
The NFL is often about one thing to GMs and HCs– Protect Your Job. Not sure anyone wants to risk his job by using a first round pick on this guy.
That should read– certainly NOT going in the 1st.
Rich Gannon is right. There’s no 1st round talent at qb this year.
Outside of a very few there is no such thing as a sure thing in drafting kids…I like the re do drafts 3 years later… Makes the pundants either smarter or dumber than we thought
Steamin’. Willie. Beamon.
TAPE should ALWAYS trump Pro Days. It’s just stupid to base an evaluation of how a guy will perform on a Pro Day. I would love to see an example where a Pro Day proved to be more illuminating about a prospect than a Game Tape.
Waste of a draft pick no matter the round.
I love watching this kid with Gruden. You really have to like his personality and what it seems he would bring to the huddle. Buuuut…. I have tried to watch highlights and game film. Unfortunately, what I see is poor mechanics and floating passes to wide open receivers. He makes the occasional nice throw.. But so did Tebow, JaMarcus Russell, and Terrell Pryor. It just really seems a stretch to think he will be the next Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers… He might not fall past the second round, but I would not be surprised if he does. I definitely like the guy, he is just not the QB I am drafting to take over my franchise. He definitely benefits from being in a weak QB class. Good luck to him, and I hope it works out but it does not seem likely.
I’ll agree with him on this..it could be just nerves getting to him, probly feels more relaxed in a game atmosphere.
Geno
If anything he better hope that he slides. I don’t know what this hype about being picked early is, why would you want to be picked by teams that are most likely unstable from top to bottom?
We fans created this insanity by showing an interest in it, now we have to ignore it some so that it will come back to reality! I will not watch this year…the hype has turned into snake oil for this group of bad draft picks.
lol@ the guy who said Bridgewater has small hands. seriously? he’s going to have “fumblitis” at the “next level”? Um, the football is the same size in college, guy. If he was going to have problems throwing the ball, it would have come up in high school…
Tom Brady was a 6th rounder. A lot of teams including my Bucs wish they could do that draft over. This guy’s talent will show over time regardless of where he’s picked. Him falling only works in his favor. The pressure to start and perform won’t be so great and he can learn the playbook adjust to the pro level, ie: Aaron Rodgers.
Best qbs in this years draft ; #1 Carr, 2 Bridgewater 3 mettenburger 4 savage 5 Boyd … #11 manziel
I agree with him, go with the game tape. Some QBs are like that, if they over think things or things are TOO easy they get the yips. Like when you’re watching a game and the QB is stinking it up until he gets sacked, and from there on out he plays great, some guys NEED the pressure and chaos of game speed so they can just react and play instinctively like they’ve done their whole lives.
So he’s a “gamer” who doesn’t practice well? A “hard-worker” and “good teammate” who “inspires” those around him to play harder? I think I’ve heard all that before.
It seems like teams are wising up on some of these “1st rounder’s/Can’t miss Prospects” AKA Tim Couch’s, Cade McNown’s, Akili Smith’s, Chad Pennignton’s, David Carr’s, Patrick Ramsey’s, J. P. Losman’s, Byron Leftwich, Rex Grossman’s, Alex Smith’s, Vince Young’s, JaMarcus Russell’s, Brady Quinn’s, Mark Dirty Sanchez’s, Josh Freeman’s, Sam Bradford’s, Tim Tebow’s, Jake Locker’s, Blaine Gabbert’s, Christian Ponder’s and Brandon Weeden’s of the world.
ALL 1st round busts. When you have to hang your hat on Matthew Stafford, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Jay Cutler and Carson Palmer being the one’s that “flourished” than you know there is a problem with how highly overrated these QB’s coming out of college are every single year.
I would rather use a mid round pick draft pick on a QB every year and hope to hit one of those every 5 to 10 years….aka Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, etc.
Your game is tape is bad also, you are bad. Get over it! Bustwater!
NFL game tape is what really matters. But he has zero of that.
Teddy Bridgewater will not be a good NFL QB.
Pro days are irrelevant. He has 3 years of solid and consistent production. He ran a pro style system where he lived under center unlike the other QBs. I’msurprised this has gotten much traction. Mayock was the one who said JaMarcus Russell was the best Pro Day he had ever seen. GMs aren’t listening to him. Bridgewater will go in the 1st rd. Those team that need QBs drafting in the Top 10 can be foolish if they like. There are only 2 of those teams with franchise QBs and the rest are drafting where they’re drafting due to bad QB play. Hello Texans, Rams, Jags, Browns, Raiders and Bucs…If you don’t currently have your QB of the future….keep swinging the bat til you find one. Duh
Bridge water, Carr, and Manziel are the three best QBs in the draft followed closely by Aaron Murray. Less than a month ago Mayock had Bridgewater as the best QB in the draft. According to Mayock pro days don’t mean much yet he dropped him
To fifth on his list because of a mediocre pro day. Rather hypocritical. Bridgewater is by far the most pro ready QB because of his accuracy, football IQ, and leadership qualities. These are the most important traits for the position. More important than arm strength, size, and mobility. I am fairly sure that Mayock has screwed this one up. If Bridgewater drops watch a team like the Patriots or Broncos grab him. That would be typical Belichek. Take advantage of the other teams insecurity and steal a franchise QB to replace Brady in a few years. The same could be said about the broncos. Elway has made some very smart personal decisions lately.